Kahala Hotel Review: Vacation Like a Celebrity

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In a nutshell: vacation like a celebrity in this well-known Oahu luxury hotel. 

Overview of the Kahala Hotel and Resort

This special resort has been a past favorite of celebrities and politicians and it’s not hard to see why (check out their wall of pictures of famous past guests). Located 15 minutes outside of Waikiki, the Kahala Hotel and Resort occupies a quiet location that makes you feel like you are a world away from it all. Combine that with their stellar customer service and open-air design, this is a special hotel that is at the top of our list every time we visit Oahu. 

Kahala Hotel and Resort Location

Located just 15 minutes east of Waikiki, the Kahala Hotel and Resort is located on the beautiful Kahala beach.

Kahala Hotel and Resort Review: why we love it

• Shockingly quiet beach: No beaches in Hawaii are private but this beach feels like a private beach. It is so quiet, especially when you compare it to Waikiki Beaches. And there is a reef protecting it from waves, so the conditions are calm and it is shallow for quite a ways off-shore. It’s a great beach for families with young children. 
• Unbelievable service: It’s so disappointing when a five-star resort doesn’t give you five-star service. But that’s not an issue here. Everyone we met was incredibly kind and went out of their way to make sure our stay was great. 
• Huge rooms: We were pleasantly surprised by how large the rooms were. There was plenty of room for us and our two kids to stretch out. And we booked a room with a lanai so we had even more space to really enjoy our stay. 
• No resort fee: Resort fees are very common in Hawaii, so when you find a resort that doesn’t charge a daily resort fee, it feels like a big win. I love that the Kahala offers so much but doesn’t add onto their room cost with a resort fee. 
• Away from Waikiki: There are reasons why you want to stay in Waikiki (be in the center of it all and walkable!), but we also really appreciate staying away from Waikiki, yet close enough to not feel remote. The Kahala is a quick 15 minute drive into Waikiki, which feels easy to do, though finding parking in Waikiki can be challenging. 

Things to Know Before Booking The Kahala Hotel and Resort

• Not in walkable Waikiki: There isn’t much to walk to from the resort, which can be a drawback to staying outside of Waikiki. When you’re in Waikiki things are busy (very busy!), but you can walk to shops, restaurants, beaches, and activities. If you want to go anywhere from the Kahala, you’ll need to drive. 
• Small pool: If you are envisioning a grand resort pool, you’ll be disappointed here. The Kahala has a nice pool with great poolside service, but it is small. There’s no waterslide, waterfall, or other memorable feature. That said, we did very much enjoy our afternoons spent poolside, running between the beach and the comfortable pool chairs. 
• Dolphins in captivity: You will have to decide how comfortable you are with this before you stay. They do keep dolphins here in captivity in a lagoon. You can watch the dolphins or pay for an up close experience with Dolphin Quest. While the dolphins look well cared for, seeing them in captivity left me feeling uncomfortable. 
• Parking fee: While the Kahala doesn’t charge a resort fee (yay!) they do charge a daily parking fee. This fee adds onto an already expensive hotel room rate ($40 per night as of December 2022). That said, this is a pretty standard fee for most hotels in Hawaii.

If you like the Kahala hotel, you might also like:

• Turtle Bay Resort on the North Shore
• Ocean Villas vacation rentals at Turtle Bay
• The Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Waikiki

Our Experience at the Kahala Hotel

We featured the Kahala Hotel in our 4 of the Best of Luxury Hotels on Oahu video. We also made a video to showcase our full experience staying at Kahala Hotel and Spa. We appreciate video for the ability to get a feel of a property before you book. Watch our full experience below!

The Best Oahu Itinerary

Ready to plan the rest of your vacation? We have you covered with our Oahu itinerary. This download-and-go itinerary takes you on a planned out route around the island seeing the best sights and eating at the best restaurants.

My wife and I just returned from Oahu, and had the most amazing trip! The Oahu itinerary was perfect, and we used it as a guide to make sure we maximized our week in paradise. Thank you for such a comprehensive plan…it was really a no-brainer. We can’t wait to come back to visit other islands

Chad Z.